David Fincher Recalls Meeting with Warner Bros. to Direct ‘Harry Potter’: ‘I Want It to Be Kind of Creepy’

The wizarding world of Harry Potter could have looked a bit more like “Se7en” if a certain meeting had played out differently.

In a new interview with Variety, David Fincher recalled taking a meeting with Warner Bros. about directing a film in the “Harry Potter” franchise. The director explained that his vision for the series would have leaned into the darker elements of J.K. Rowling’s books.

“I was asked to come in and talk to them about how I would do ‘Harry Potter,’” Fincher said. “I remember saying, ‘I just don’t want to do the clean Hollywood version of it. I want to do something that looks a lot more like ‘Withnail and I,’ and I want it to be kind of creepy.’”

Fincher said that Warner Bros. was more interested in the warmer aspects of the books, so he never became involved: “They were like, ‘We want Thom Browne schooldays by way of ‘Oliver’.’”

While Fincher is best known for directing adult-oriented thrillers like “Fight Club” and “Zodiac,” he has demonstrated an openness to working on big franchises. He was previously attached to direct Brad Pitt in a sequel to “World War Z” and is reportedly developing a U.S.-set “Squid Game” spin-off series for Netflix. He also notably launched his career with “Alien 3,” a project he eventually disavowed due to studio interference.

When asked about his process of choosing projects to direct, Fincher said that he tries to keep an open mind and consider a wide variety of opportunities. Even when working with beloved I.P. like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” or “Gone Girl,” the director explained that he prioritizes jobs that give him the freedom to liberally adapt source material as he sees fit.

“There are different things about stories that resonate with you based on movies you love and the kind of movies that you made,” he said. “So I don’t know how I choose things to be involved with, but you get a hankering where you go, ‘I’d like to see this, and I’d like to see it done this way.’ … I like the idea that you can kind of pick and choose where you’re going to spend your efforts — what you’re going to underline, and what you’re going to blur.”

Fincher doesn’t appear to have any regrets about missing out on “Harry Potter” — though if he does, he could always try to direct an episode of HBO’s upcoming episodic adaptation, which will cover Rowling’s original books over the course of seven seasons.